Ushuaia Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm heading to the Antarctica and spending sometime in Ushuaia. Can anyone give any info on how expensive it is (food, wine, sightseeing activities)? Any recommendations on things to do/see?

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!

Hi,

I spent a long weekend in Ushuaia a few years ago - there's plenty to see and do. The main thing is the national park - you don't say when you're going, but the main period for the park is summer naturally enough. That said, I went in winter and it was very picturesque, if not so good for walking. There's an old train in the park that you can take too which stops at various spots for picture taking.

There's a ski lift also, not operating all the year but they ran it just for me when I went and the views were wonderful. I recommend it!

I also visited the old prison (interesting, it's on an army base) and took a boat trip to see the sealion colonies. At other times of the year you can see penguins. You may not be so interested in this if you're going on to Antarctica but it was an enjoyable trip. There are also ferries out to Estancia Harberton, an old settlement with connections to the British in Argentina - I wish I'd done this when I was there. Wandering about the town itself is interesting too - wooden houses unlike anything else you'll see in Argentina and some quirky museums about the history of the area.

I don't remember it being particularly cheap or dear compared to other places in the country (which was extremely cheap at the time), though I think prices have probably changed in the time since I was there.

I was there a couple of years ago and I would say it is expensive compared to other parts of Argentina, for several reasons 1) Most of the fresh food has to be shiped or flown in 2) As you know it is the start point for most of the cruises to antarctica and thus is a bit of a tourist trap as every one is stuck there. I would say things are probably about 20% more expensive than other places, especially tourist souveneirs and food. As for things to do, the old jail is very interesting, I didnt go to the national park, but is meant to be quite nice, I spent a lot of time wandering up and down the streets and in the chocolate shops (the hot chocolate is amazing). Have a great time, JO

Here is a link to one of the local tourism web sites http://www.tierradelfuego.org.ar/v4/_eng/index.php

And yes, you will find prices much higher there than less touristic areas of the country. In addition the hotels are for the most part not so great and charge top dollar, same with some of the restaurants.
suerte
SAM

Thanks everyone for the information and tips!!!! Really appreciate it.

Most of the meals are around 8-10 dollars.
For excellent tours, look for Canal Fun tours company. They have a web page. Of course it will depend on the time of the year, but they have 3 hours walks along the trail which goes along the water in the National Park combined with boat driving and a barbacue; or canping plus a beautiful walk inside a reserved island; and 4x4 off road.

agreed on virtually all counts.
because of the tourist crowd ushuaia deals with, the excursions are more highly priced there than elsewhere in argentina. Canal Fun is a standard in ushuaia and offers the widest variety of tours. if you are interested in guided hiking, check with the Compania de Guias (http://www.companiadeguias.com.ar). it is simple and inexpensive to take a trip out to the national park on public transportation.
a very popular excursion is the boat trip on the beagle channel. since you are going to antarctica, this will probably be quite boring to you unless you go before. i recommend this company http://www.patagoniaadvent.com.ar which offer a far more unconventional approach to the channel.

for seafood i recommend La Casa de los Mariscos which is pretty well priced. eat Centolla which is King Crab. very tasty. for very good lamb dishes, try El Bodegon Fueguino. the tenedor libres (buffets) are not particularly good in ushuaia. meals can run anywhere from 7-20 dollars depending on the place.

gabriel, we have gone to the same best places. The "cazuela de mariscos" at the Casa de los mariscos" is so extremly tasty... The cost of the oriental "all you can eat" (about 25 arg. pesos plus beverage) is not good compared with the food you can eat at the Casa de los mariscos" for the same price.

A whole-day tour (trekkin plus canoing for instance) must be around 90 dollars, with lunch included. The catamaran to visit the penguins, cormoranes, etc (about 3 1/2 hours) about 40-50 dollars.
You can visit the National Park by yourself, taking the bus which departs each hour from downtown. There are several trails in the park, so get a map in the Tourist Information Office, and enjoy the walking.